Neighbors to appeal plan to convert church to child care at Napa City Council (2024)

Some residents of Napa's Alta Heights neighborhood continue to fight a plan to convert a vacant former church building into a child care center, and are taking their appeal to Tuesday's City Council meeting.

In a report included with the meeting's agenda, city staff are recommending that council members uphold the planning commission's decision last month to approve Le Petit Elephant's plan to open a day care at 15 Chapel Hill Drive, formerly home to a Latter-day Saints church. Officials said the project complies with the California Environmental Quality Act— though some neighbors feel otherwise.

Several Alta Heights residents wrote to the council in April, saying the planning commission’s endorsem*nt of the day care plan was unlawful.

Writing as the Alta Heights Neighborhood Coalition, they opposed the idea of the day care being rented for other activities outside of business hours, saying that practice is not allowed under zoning rules. They also believe the plan does not comply with the state environmental act due to increased traffic congestion and other reasons.

“We are hopeful the city council will recognize that the project as approved by the planning commission is significantly flawed, was approved in error and will uphold the appeal and deny the project,” the coalition said in its appeal letter.

In April, the planning commission unanimously approved a new day care center— to be operated by Le Petit Elephant, a Napa nursery and preschool— before an audience with dismayed Alta Heights neighbors and supportive Napa parents.

The plan would allow Le Petit Elephant's founder Milli Pintacsi to convert the empty LDS church into a day care center for up to 250 children from infants to 12-year-olds. It would operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Pintacsi also would be allowed to rent out the church's existing gym space and community playroom on weekends when Le Petit Elephant is not open.

Commissioners felt the conversion would be the best reuse of the land, although they also sympathized with neighbors who were concerned about evacuations and traffic congestion.

Ultimately, members of the city land-use authority felt there was a pressing need in Napa for a child care center of that scale.

"I know the importance of stable child care so people can come to work," Commissioner Bob Massaro said in April. "I can guarantee that our government, our services, all of our businesses are feeling the impact of inadequate child care in this community."

At that meeting, neighbors such Tim Sabo disagreed with the day care’s location, saying there are only limited ways to leave the neighborhood in the event of a wildfire.

"I've been there during the fires, and we've had some pretty bad fire scares," said Sabo. "They come suddenly, they come badly."

Others discussed the potential for added traffic congestion, and said the city’s traffic impact study found the new day care would create 1,000 new car trips a day. However, Pintacsi of Le Petit Elephant explained doesn’t necessarily translate to more cars.

Pintacsi replied that 37% of the vehicle trips generated would be two children from the same family in one car. She added it would most likely serve about 200 children on a regular basis.

Supporters of the day care expansion in April predicted opening another day care would provide a major benefit for Napa parents.

Kelley Miller, a teacher in the Napa Valley Unified School District, described the city as a child care desert.

"I love my job. I love teaching our students in Napa Valley, but it was very hard to find child care when I first began," she said. "I didn't realize you needed to be on a waiting list when you got pregnant. That was a shock to me."

At Tuesday's meeting, council members will decide if the child care center Pintacsi envisions will take shape.

In her proposal to the city earlier this year, Pintacsi said her project would become the hub of child development in Napa.

Pintacsi sees the empty church as “a permanent home for child development in Napa County and a long-awaited solution to the severe shortage of high-quality infant care in Napa County.”

Le Petit Elephant’s appeal hearing is scheduled for the Napa City Council's evening session, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at 955 School St., though it will be a long day in the council chamber.

Earlier Tuesday at 2 p.m., the City Council and the Napa County Board of Supervisors will hold a joint meeting to hear a report on homelessness within the city and county.